The present invention relates to a support and, more particularly, a patient or invalid support, such as a mattress, that is adapted for use on a patient bed used in a hospital or other patient care facilities, including long term care facilities or the like.
When patients are hospitalized or bedridden for any significant amount of time, patients can develop pressure sores or ulcers. These pressure sores or ulcers can be exacerbated by the patient's own poor circulation, such as in the case of diabetic patients, but typically form as a result of prolonged immobility, which allows the pressure exerted on the patient's skin from the mattress to decrease circulation in the patient's tissue. In addition to reducing circulation in the patients' tissue, lack of mobility can also cause moisture build-up at the point of contact with the mattress. Moisture build-up can cause maceration in the skin—which makes the skin more permeable and vulnerable to irritants and stresses, such as stresses caused by pressure or by shear, for example when a patient is moved across a mattress.
Accordingly there is a need for a mattress that can reduce the pressure on a patient's skin and further that can improve air circulation to the patient's skin, all in an attempt to improve the care of a patient.